Pianoforte-action



No. 608,938. Patented Aug. 9, I898. W. W. WALLACE.

PIANOFORTE ACTION.

{Application filed Sept. 20. 1897,)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TVILLIAM \V. WVALLAOE, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

PlANOFORTE-ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,938, dated August9, 1898.

Application filed September 20, 1897. Serial No. 652,345. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM W. WALLACE, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inPianoforte-Actions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pianoforte-actions, the object being toprovide improved devices for uniting certain parts of said actions, andparticularly those which are most subject to derangement caused bychanges of temperature and hygrometric variations thereof; and theinvention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of saidpart-unitin g devices, all as hereinafter fully described and moreparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a sideelevation illustrating the several operating parts of apianoforteaction. Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive, illustrate parts and sectionsof parts of said action having my improvements applied thereto. Figs. 6and 7 are perspective views of certain parts containing inyimprovements,which are fully described below.

Referring to the drawings, the parts of the pianoforte-action havingoperative relations to those parts thereof to which my improvements aredirectly applied are illustrated, to the end that the practical value ofmy improvements may be better understood.

Referring to Fig. 1, 2 indicates the keyrocker, 3 an upright bearing byits lower end on said rocker, and 4: a support attached to the upper endof said upright 3. The lower flange-rail is indicated by 9 and hassecured thereto a jack-rocker flange 5 for each keyaction of theinstrument, and 10 is a brace between said rocker-flange and saidupright 3, having a pivotal connection with said parts 3 and 5. Saidsupport 4 is pivotally connected to the action-rail 7 by a flange 8,which is substantially the same as said jack-rocker flange 5, and saidsupport is pivotally attached to the upper end of said upright 3.

VA flange 15 of substantially the same construction as thebefore-mentioned flanges 5 and S is secured to the upper edge of saidaction-rail. '7 by a screw 0, as shown, and extending horizontallyserves as a pivotal support for the damper-lever 14:, and another likeflange 6 is similarly secured to the inner side of said action-rail 7and serves as means for pivotal connection of the hammer-shank 12 tosaid rail, as shown in Fig. 1.

The hammer-spring rail is indicated by 21, the back check by 23, and thehammer-rail by 13.

The above-named parts of the pianoforteaction other than said flanges 5,6, 8, and 15 are illustrated and referred to in order that the ofiice ofsaid flanges in constituting pivotal supports for parts of the actionconnected thereto may be made clear.

To persons familiar with the mechanical structure of pianoforte-actionsit is well known that the last-mentioned four several flanges, whichheretofore have been secured to their holding parts by a common screwpassing through a hole formed in the wood thereof and entering the Woodof saidholding parts, are subject to continuous hard strain when theinstrument is being played upon, and, furthermore, that they frequentlybecome loose because of insufficient means of attachment to the fixedparts of the action and because of atmospheric action thereupon, wherebythey become loose upon their attaching-screw, and consequently upon saidfixed parts, thereby inducing a hard and rattling action, which thewithin-described improvements entirely obviate.

The said improvements in the above-mentioned flange-securing devices areillustrated in certain of the figures above referred to, and theyconsist in providing an internally and externally screw-threadedsocket-lining 0, having a plain solid inner extremity and having adiameter substantially that of the base of the external screw-threadthereon, which socket-lining is screwed into a socket in the action-rail7 or other part having normally'the diameter of said socket-liningsplain extremity, as shown in Fig. at, to the end that the latter shallhave a bearing in said socket well beyond the screwed part of saidlining to brace the latter against lateral movement and to provide forthe best possible engagement of the screwed part of said lining withsaid socket.

Said improvements further consist in providing a tubular metallicbushing d, tightly inserted in and extending from the outer face of theflange through a transverse groove 4% in the rear side thereof andterminating at that point, said groove being adapted to receive a riboon said action-rail and others to which said flange may be attached,andfinally a screw e, passing through said flange and bushing d andscrewing into said socket-lining 0. Said screw has no screw engagementwith said bushing d. Thus by securing said flanges to their supportingparts,as described, they remain permanently in place, for the outer endof said socket-lining 0 presents a metallic base against which saidmetallic bushing d abuts, and the outer end of the latter and a portionof the surface of the flange immediately surrounding the end of saidbushing are compressed under the head of said screw e, thus rigidly soholding said flange in place that it resists the normal strain of theaction parts thereon and is not subject to derangement from changes oftemperature above referred.

Further improvements in said pianoforteaction, herein shown in Figs. 1and 7, consist in providing improved means for uniting the damper-wire16 and the damper-head 17, whereby a rigid and enduring attachment ofsaid parts is secured, and said attaohin g parts comprise a screw a,having a shank screwing into the damper-blocklS and having an outerscrewed extremity receiving a nut 12, said screw a having a cylindricalenlargement midway between its ends, as shown, and a transverseperforation therethrough through which the end of said damper-wirepasses, as shown in Figs. 1 and 7. Said transverse perforation is solocated in said screw a that a half-round groove is formed in one end ofsaid cylindrical enlargement, in which said damper-wire lies, as in Fig.7, and is thereby when said nut b is screwed thereagainst so rigidlyheld as to resist displacement from the operation of thepianoforte-action.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a pianoforte-action, means for attaching the flanges thereof to afixed part or parts of said action,comprising aninternally-screwthreaded metallic socket-lining secured in said fixedpart, combined with a flange of said action, a metallic bushing passingtransversely therethrough, one end of which abuts the outer end of saidlining, and a screw passin g freely through said bushing having no screwengagement therewith, and by its head engaging the outer end of saidbushing, substantially as set forth.

2. In a pianoforte-action, means for attaching the flanges thereof to apart or parts of said action, comprising an internally and externallyscrew-threaded metallic socket-linin g having an inner extremity of thediameter of the base of its external screw-thread, fixed in said socket,combined with a flange of said action having a metallic bushing havingno internal screw-thread, passing transversely therethrough, forabutment against the end of said socket-lining, and a screw passingfreely through said bushing having its head engaging the outer end ofsaid bushing and the surrounding part of said flange, substantially assetzforth.

3. In a pianoforte-action, means for uniting the damper-wire and thedamper-head thereof, comprising a screw engaging with the block of saidhead having an outer screwed extremity and an enlargement midway be-'tween its extremities, and a transverse perforation therethroughadjoining said enlargement, combined with the damper-wire entering saidperforation, and a nut compressing said wire between the same and saidenlargement, substantially as set forth.

4. In a pianoforte-action, means for uniting the damper-wire and thedamper-head thereof, comprising a screw engaging with the block of saidhead having an outer screwed extremity and an enlargement midway betweenits extremities, and a transverse perforation therethrough adjoining theouter end of said enlargement and forming a halfround groove in saidouter end, combined with the damper-wire extending through saidperforation and engaging said groove, and a nut compressing said wirebetween the same and said enlargement, and forcing said wire into saidgroove, substantially as set forth.

. WILLIAM W. WALLACE.

Witnesses:

H. A. CHAPIN, K. I. CLEMoNs.

